Men’s Basketball Signs Two More Student-Athletes For 2004-05 Season

April 14, 2004

Clemson men’s basketball head coach Oliver Purnell announced the addition of two more student-athletes to the 2004-05 Tiger team. Cliff Hammonds and Troy Mathis signed National Letters of Intent on Wednesday to continue their academic and athletic careers at Clemson. Hammonds and Mathis will join James Mays, Cheyenne Moore and Sam Perry in Purnell’s first signing class.

Mathis, a 6-foot, 200-pound point guard from Raleigh, NC, is rated as the #24 point guard in the nation by TheInsiders.com. As a senior, Mathis averaged 21 points, five rebounds, five assists and three steals per game. In 2003, Mathis set a state record by officially scoring 73 points with nine assists and 11 steals for Laurinburg Charter Prep against Crossnore Academy. Mathis also played for Raleigh’s Finest, an AAU team that has featured players such as Florida State’s Anthony Richardson and Louisiana State’s Regis Koundjia.

“Troy is a natural point guard that has been called upon to score in the last couple of years and he has proven he can do that,” said Purnell. “He has shown a penchant for playing defense and that is a trait that will be important and enable him to contribute to our program in the near future. I believe that he will be a fine ACC player.”

Hammonds, the #21 point guard in the nation by TheInsiders.com, averaged 22 points, 7.5 rebounds, 6 assists and 4.5 steals per game during his senior season. The 6-foot-three, 175-pound point guard from Cairo, GA, helped lead the Cairo High School team to the final four of the state championships. Hammonds was named the 4A state Player of the Year and was first-team all-state. He was also named to the 1-AAAA GHSA Region team and played on the Atlanta Prep Stars AAU team.

“Cliff brings the total package to college basketball,” said Purnell. “He is a tremendous all-around athlete, having competed in football, basketball and track in high school. He is also a tremendous student. Now that he will be concentrating on basketball, he has the potential to be an outstanding guard at both positions. Cliff will also bring a mental toughness to the program.”